Graham Reynolds - Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Happy Jail

Graham Reynolds - Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Happy Jail

Aug 13, 2019

It is a big week for composer Graham Reynolds as two projects he scored, Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Happy Jail, will be released nationwide.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a feature film directed by Richard Linklater, which stars Cate Blanchett as a loving mother who decides to re-connect with her creative passions by embarking on a grand adventure of self discovery.

Happy Jail is a documentary series directed by Michele Josue, which follows up with the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines. This prison was the center of the famous 2007 viral video where it’s inmates performed a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette will be released in theaters this Friday, August 16th and Happy Jail will be available to stream on Netflix Wednesday, August 14th.

Jonathan Hartman - The Chaperone

Jonathan Hartman - The Chaperone

Apr 2, 2019

Written, directed and produced by the creators of Downton Abbey, The Chaperone hit theaters last Friday. Jonathan Hartman composed all-original 1920’s style songs for the film, which feature twenty-six musicians in a variety of band configurations including small duos, ragtime sextets, and big bands in order to accurately capture the range of musical possibilities of the Roaring Twenties. Jonathan worked closely with the film’s producers Elizabeth McGovern and Victoria Hill, as well as recording and mix engineer Adam Schmidt, music editor Lisa Arpino, and music supervisor Andy Ross, to perfectly capture the period and moods reflected in the picture.

The film stars Haley Lu Richardson and Elizabeth McGovern and is out in select theaters across the United States. It will later be broadcast as an original PBS Masterpiece film.

David Majzlin - Bel Canto

David Majzlin - Bel Canto

Directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), the film is an adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ann Patchett, and stars Julianne Moore as a world-renown opera singer who becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she’s invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America.

On Sunday September 16, David will be participating in The Guggenheim’s Works & Process series, joining famed soprano Renée Fleming (who provided Moore’s singing voice and whose voice is also prominently featured in the score of the film), Anthony Weintraub (producer/co-screenwriter) and Elena Park (music producer) to discuss the film’s creation and its musical components. More information can be found here.

Roger Neill - Like Father

The comedy is the directorial debut of writer/actress Lauren Miller Rogan (For a Good Time Call), and centers on a workaholic woman who, after being left at the altar, takes her honeymoon trip anyway with her similarly overachieving father.

Like Father will be released on Netflix later this year.

Charlie Clouser - Jigsaw

Charlie Clouser - Jigsaw

The eighth installment in Lionsgate’s Saw franchise picks up eleven years after the previous film, during a police investigation that uncovers a string of murders with a familiar modus operandi. Jigsaw is directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, and stars Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, and Callum Keith Rennie.

Charlie has scored all previous Saw films, which have collectively grossed over $873 million at the box office worldwide, making it one of the top grossing horror franchises of all time.

Lakeshore Records is releasing the soundtrack, and is available digitally at Amazon.

RIP Daniel Licht - 1957-2017

RIP Daniel Licht - 1957-2017

Aug 3, 2017

We are heartbroken to report the untimely passing of Daniel Licht, our good friend and a client of EMP since its inception. The cause of death was a rare form of sarcoma, and his passing came just weeks after it was discovered.

Dan was probably best known for his hauntingly ironic music for the Showtime series Dexter, in which found instruments such as knives, duct tape, saws, scissors and human bones accompanied the more conventional chamber orchestra employed for the episodes.

Dan got his start in music playing jazz guitar in New York City. We had been regaled with stories about gigs with Miles Davis and Don Cherry. He traveled the world as a studio and live player, experimenting with all manner of plucked and strummed stringed instruments. The experience served him well when a call from renowned composer Christopher Young brought him into the world of film music.

Dan worked with Chris on a number of films and soon became known in his own right, following in his mentor’s footsteps in the horror genre with films like Hellraiser: Bloodline, Stephen King’s Thinner, and a number of the Amityville films. But his irreverent style also caught the attention of auteur indie directors like Alex Cox and Gregg Araki for whom he scored the films The Winner and Splendor. Among the hundreds of hours of television Dan scored were the series Deception, Body of Proof, The Red Road, and Guilt. He was also a huge presence in the world of games, winning awards for his score to Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Silent Hill: Book Of Memories and Downpour.

Dan got married a little later in life, and we’ve never seen him happier than these recent years spent in his sprawling Topanga home with wife Hilary and young son Kian. We grieve with them today, as well as with his mother Eve, brothers Ed and Alan, and sister Deborah. He was also an active in a number of composer groups and was much admired by his fellow composers, some of whom have already reached out to us to share a story and a tear. He was a fantastic guy and an amazing and completely original composing talent. We’re going to miss him.

Here’s a link to his live concert at the Krakow Film Music Festival a couple of years ago featuring Dan conducting and performing music from Dexter:

Roger Neill - 20th Century Women

The film, written and directed by Mike Mills, stars Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Alia Shawkat in the story of three women who explore love and freedom in Southern California during the late 1970s. The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Wired have published glowing reviews, alluding to Oscar nominations.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Roger talks about his ethereal synth-driven score and his reconnection with instruments he played as a child:

“…the first time I ever played that particular synthesizer, I was 15—I was the same age as our main character, Jamie. For this movie, I had that very same specific Prophet-5 shipped to me. It was now living in Indiana, so the same instrument that I played on at 15 is actually the one I’ve used for the score.”

Tim Kvasnosky - J.T. Leroy

Tim Kvasnosky - J.T. Leroy

May 29, 2019

J.T. Leroy, scored by Tim Kvasnosky, is now playing in selected art house theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The film tells the extraordinary story of Laura Alpert and Savannah Knoops’ outlandish literary hoax. Kristen Stewart stars as Savannah, who spent six years posing as the acclaimed author J.T. Leroy, a fictitious character developed by Laura to hide her identity as the real author. As a young, mysterious, queer writer with a tragic past, J.T. fascinates the public while gaining access to Hollywood’s innermost circles, as Laura (played by Laura Dern) goes along for the ride as his British manager Speedie. Kvasnosky (known in electronic music circles as Tim K) stretches out of character here with a score dominated by lilting alto flutes, perfectly capturing the whimsy as well as the pathos of the story.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part - Eldad Guetta

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part - Eldad Guetta

Feb 14, 2019

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part opened in theaters Friday, and is now #1 at the box office throughout the world! The film features songs co-written and co-produced by new EMP client Eldad Guetta. The much anticipated sequel in the critically acclaimed franchise stars Chris Pratt, Elisabeth Banks and Will Arnett, where the heroes of Bricksburg must battle invaders from outer space in order to restore harmony in the LEGO universe. Screenrant is featuring a playlist that includes all the songs in the movie – click here to listen! Eldad produced five songs with Marius De Vries (Cats and Moulin Rouge!) and collaborated with screenwriter Chris Miller on another song, the ditty “5:15.”

Previously, Guetta co-produced music for the Oscar-winning film La-La Land. Other projects he’s worked on recently include Small Foot, Teen Spirit, and First Man. A film composer, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Guetta is fluent in all aspects of modern music technology with broad classical knowledge.

The Nun - Abel Korzeniowski

Sep 5, 2018

The Nun scored by Abel Korzeniowski is poised to dominate the box office this weekend!

The Nun - Abel Korzeniowski

Sep 5, 2018

The Nun scored by Abel Korzeniowski is poised to dominate the box office this weekend!

The series’ previous film, Annabelle: Creation, was a critically-acclaimed box office hit, grossing a worldwide total of $258.6 million. With its release, it pushed The Conjuring franchise past the $1 billion threshold, making it the third horror series to cross that mark after the Alien franchise and Resident Evil series.

The Nun is the fifth installment in The Conjuring franchise, and is directed by Corin Hardy and stars Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, Charlotte Hope, and Bonnie Aarons. The story centers on a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the verge of her final vows who are tasked with investigating a young nun’s mysterious suicide, only to discover a much darker secret.

Fil Eisler - The Titan

Fil Eisler - The Titan

The debut feature from director Lennart Ruff stars Sam Worthington, Taylor Schilling, Tom Wilkinson, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Set in the near future, The Titan centers on a military family who uproot their lives so they can participate in a ground-breaking experiment to accelerate man’s genetic evolution.

Graham Reynolds - Last Flag Flying and More…

Graham Reynolds - Last Flag Flying and More…

Sep 21, 2017

Graham Reynolds’ most recent collaboration with Richard Linklater, Last Flag Flying, will have its world premiere as the opening film for the New York Film Festival next week.

The dramedy follows three aging veterans on a road trip (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne), reunited for the funeral of one of the men’s only son killed in combat. Last Flag Flying will be released theatrically on November 3 by Amazon Studios and Lionsgate.

On October 10, Graham will be at The Theatre at Ace Hotel for the Los Angeles debut his experimental chamber opera Pancho Villa From A Safe Distance. Featuring hybrid compositional and production techniques and an extensive sound palette, the opera explores the life and legacy of Pancho Villa, and sonically traverses both Mexican and American perspectives to reveal intersections and conflicts to create a borderless dialogue about the shared histories of Mexico and the United States. For tickets, follow this link.

Graham has also started work on his next film project – Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette, based on the novel of the same name by Maria Semple. The story centers on Bernadette, a mother in Seattle who has gone missing and left her teenage daughter to pick up the pieces. The film’s all-star cast includes Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, and Laurence Fishburne, and is slated for release in May 2018 by Annapurna Pictures.

OSCARS 2017

OSCARS 2017

Jan 25, 2017

Congratulations to our clients who scored Oscar nominated films!

Nocturnal Animals scored by Abel Korzeniowski is nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon). Manchester By The Sea scored by Lesley Barber is up for six nominations including Best Picture. 20th Century Women scored by Roger Neill is nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

And a very special kudos to Christine Russell’s brother, renowned sound mixer Greg Russell, on his 17th Oscar nomination for 13 Hours!

The Oscars will be held on February 26. For more information, please visit their official website.

Abel Korzeniowski - iTunes Best Soundtracks of 2016

Dec 9, 2016

Abel Korzeniowski‘s score to Nocturnal Animals is featured in iTunes’ Best Soundtracks of 2016!

Abel Korzeniowski - iTunes Best Soundtracks of 2016

Dec 9, 2016

Abel Korzeniowski‘s score to Nocturnal Animals is featured in iTunes’ Best Soundtracks of 2016!

Abel’s score has earned critical acclaim, and in a recent interview with Variety explains his approach to the film’s intertwined stories: “One is a psychological drama, purely internal and emotional. The other is a crime story, as bloody and violent as you can get…" adding that the score was also “written in reverse. The crime story is scored as a very emotional, intimate journey. The story outside, the drama of Susan, is scored like a thriller, as if you were watching a Hitchcock movie.” Click here to read the feature.

Murray Gold - Gentleman Jack

Murray Gold - Gentleman Jack

May 7, 2019

Murray Gold composed Sally Wainwright’s new eight-part drama for HBO, Gentleman Jack. Set in 1832 West Yorkshire England, this unconventional period piece dives into the captivating life story of industrialist and heroine, Anne Lister (played by Suranne Jones). Anne’s recently decrypted coded dairies serve as the inspiration for the series, which detail her sexuality and ambition to find a wife in high society, her business dealings, as well as her journey to restore her inherited home, Shibden Hall. Gold’s sly score deftly pays tribute to the period while at the same time projecting a totally modern feel.

Episodes 1-3 of Gentleman Jack are now available to stream on HBO Go. Stay tuned for the next installments premiering on HBO May 13th, May 20th, May 27th, June 3rd, and June 11th.

The Nun Dominates Dominates the World Box Office

Sep 25, 2018

The Nun grosses a worldwide total of $293.4 million at the box office.

The Nun Dominates Dominates the World Box Office

Sep 25, 2018

The Nun scored by Abel Korzeniowski dominated the world’s box office this month, earning $101.3 million domestically and $192.1 million internationally, for a staggering worldwide total of $293.4 million.

The Nun is now the biggest film of The Conjuring franchise (ahead of Annabelle: Creation which grossed a worldwide box office total of $258.6 million), pushing its way past the Alien and Resident Evil films as the biggest R-rated horror series of all time.

Fil Eisler - Life of the Party

Fil Eisler - Life of the Party

May 14, 2018

New Line Cinema’s Life of the Party scored by Fil Eisler is now in theaters!

The comedy stars Melissa McCarthy under the direction of her husband Ben Falcone. When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime dedicated housewife Deanna (McCarthy) turns regret into re-set by going back to college… landing in the same class and school as her daughter, who’s not entirely sold on the idea.

McCarthy and Falcone co-wrote the screenplay and produced through their production company, On the Day. The soundtrack, released by Varèse Sarabande, is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Fil Eisler - Proud Mary

The film, directed by Babak Najafi, stars Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, and Neal McDonough in the story of a hitwoman whose life is completely turned around when she crosses paths with young boy during a job gone awry.

Fil continues work on the hit television shows Empire, Unreal, and the new AMC series Dietland, starring Juliana Margulies. We’re also looking forward to Netflix’s release of The Titan, the deep space action feature Fil recently scored, in Spring.

Abel Korzeniowski - The Nun

Abel Korzeniowski - The Nun

The fifth installment in The Conjuring franchise, The Nun is directed by Corin Hardy and stars Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, Charlotte Hope, and Bonnie Aarons. The story centers on a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the verge of her final vows who are tasked with investigating a young nun’s mysterious suicide, only to discover a much darker secret.

The most recent film in the franchise, Annabelle: Creation, grossed a worldwide box office total of $258.6 million – pushing The Conjuring franchise past the $1 billion threshold: only the third horror series to cross that mark (after the Alien franchise and Resident Evil series).

The Nun is slated for release summer 2018 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Abel Korzeniowski - BAFTA Nomination

Jan 12, 2017

Congratulations to Abel Korzeniowski on his BAFTA nomination for his score to Nocturnal Animals!

Abel Korzeniowski - BAFTA Nomination

Jan 12, 2017

Congratulations to Abel Korzeniowski on his BAFTA nomination for his score to Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals! Considered a front-runner for this awards season, Nocturnal Animals has pulled in spectacular reviews from numerous publications, including The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Post.

Abel previously won a BAFTA for his score to Showtime’s hit television drama Penny Dreadful, and was nominated for three Emmys. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for his score to Tom Ford’s first film A Single Man and Madonna’s film W.E. He has won three IFMCA Awards and two World Soundtrack Awards.